Growth & Strategy
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
When I started working with an e-commerce client who was generating consistent revenue through Facebook Ads with a 2.5 ROAS, everything looked solid on paper. They had steady traffic, decent conversion rates, and predictable monthly revenue. Most consultants would have focused on optimizing their campaigns.
But I recognized something dangerous: their entire business was renting customers from one platform. One algorithm change, one policy update, one competitor bidding war could destroy their revenue overnight. They weren't building a go-to-market strategy - they were building a single point of failure.
This project taught me the fundamental difference between growth tactics and sustainable distribution. Most businesses confuse a working channel with a working distribution strategy. The result? They optimize campaigns while their competitors build distribution moats.
After implementing my distribution-first framework, something interesting happened. Facebook's reported ROAS jumped from 2.5 to 8-9 within a month. But here's the twist - Facebook wasn't performing better. Other channels were driving conversions that Facebook's attribution was claiming credit for.
In this playbook, you'll learn:
Why single-channel dependency is the fastest way to kill your go-to-market strategy
The "Dark Funnel" reality that most attribution models hide from you
My 3-phase framework for building anti-fragile distribution systems
How to embrace attribution chaos instead of fighting it
Real metrics from moving a client from platform dependency to distribution dominance
This isn't about testing more channels. It's about building a go-to-market foundation that gets stronger when individual platforms fail.
Industry Reality
What everyone believes about go-to-market distribution
Walk into any startup accelerator or scroll through marketing Twitter, and you'll see the same distribution advice repeated everywhere:
"Find your best channel and double down on it." The logic seems sound - identify what's working, pour more resources into it, scale what shows positive ROI. This approach usually follows a predictable playbook:
Test multiple channels with small budgets
Measure conversion rates and customer acquisition costs
Focus 80% of your resources on the top 1-2 performing channels
Optimize those channels until you hit diminishing returns
Then explore new channels to diversify
The problem with this conventional wisdom? It treats distribution like a math equation when it's actually more like an ecosystem. Most businesses optimize for yesterday's metrics while tomorrow's customer behavior is already changing.
This channel-first thinking creates what I call "attribution tunnel vision." Companies become obsessed with tracking every click and conversion to specific channels, missing the complex reality of how customers actually discover and buy products.
The traditional approach also assumes that channels operate independently, when the most powerful distribution systems create channels that amplify each other. A customer might discover you through SEO, follow you on social media, join your email list, then convert through a retargeting ad. Which channel gets the credit?
Here's where most go-to-market strategies break down: they optimize for measurable touchpoints while ignoring the unmeasurable influence that creates actual customer behavior.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
When I started working with this e-commerce client, they had what looked like a textbook success story. Their Facebook Ads were generating a solid 2.5 ROAS with consistent daily spend. Revenue was predictable, and they were scaling their ad budget monthly. On paper, they'd "found their channel."
But I'd seen this movie before. Three years of building websites had taught me that businesses focused only on optimization often miss bigger strategic opportunities. So instead of diving into campaign optimization, I asked a different question: "What happens if Facebook disappears tomorrow?"
The answer was terrifying. Their entire customer acquisition was built on rented land. They had no email list growth strategy, zero organic traffic, no referral systems, no partnerships. They were optimizing their way into a corner.
I proposed something that made them uncomfortable: instead of improving their Facebook performance, let's build a comprehensive distribution system while their current channel was still working. Think of it as building a safety net while you're still performing on the tightrope.
The client was skeptical. "Why fix what isn't broken?" they asked. Because broken often happens overnight in digital marketing, and by then it's too late to build alternatives.
We started with a complete distribution audit. Not just channels they were using, but channels their customers were using. Where did their target audience hang out? What did their customer journey actually look like beyond the last-click attribution?
The insights were eye-opening. Their customers weren't just clicking Facebook ads and buying. They were researching on Google, asking for recommendations in Facebook groups, checking reviews, comparing prices, and following multiple touchpoints before converting. Facebook was getting credit for conversions it influenced, not created.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Instead of optimizing their existing Facebook campaigns, I implemented a three-phase distribution overhaul that would run parallel to their current performance marketing:
Phase 1: Foundation Building (Month 1)
The first phase focused on creating owned media assets that would capture value regardless of platform performance. We completely restructured their website for SEO, not just conversion. This meant rethinking site architecture, content strategy, and user flow.
Every product page became a potential entry point. Every blog post was designed to capture different customer research phases. Instead of driving all traffic to the homepage, we created multiple "front doors" for different customer intents.
The content creation wasn't random. I analyzed their Facebook audiences and built content around the specific problems and interests those audiences demonstrated. If someone was clicking ads about "sustainable materials," we created comprehensive guides about sustainable materials that could rank on Google.
Phase 2: Channel Integration (Month 2)
Rather than treating channels as separate entities, we created loops where each channel fed the others. Facebook ads drove traffic to SEO-optimized content. Email sequences included social proof from organic channels. Social media content repurposed high-performing blog content.
The key insight: instead of competing channels, we built complementary channels. Someone might discover us through organic search, join our email list, see retargeting ads, and finally convert. Each touchpoint strengthened the others.
We also implemented what I call "attribution-agnostic measurement." Instead of trying to track every conversion to its source, we measured overall business metrics: total revenue, customer lifetime value, organic growth rate, and brand search volume.
Phase 3: System Optimization (Month 3)
By month three, something fascinating happened. Facebook's reported ROAS jumped from 2.5 to 8-9, but we weren't doing anything different with the ads. The improvement came from other channels creating awareness and consideration that Facebook's retargeting was capitalizing on.
This is when we realized we'd built something more valuable than optimized campaigns - we'd built a distribution system where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.
The final phase involved creating sustainable growth loops. Happy customers became content contributors. User-generated content became social proof. Social proof improved organic rankings. Better rankings reduced ad costs. Lower ad costs allowed for more experimental channels.
Customer Research
Understanding where your audience actually spends time before they convert - not just where they click last.
Attribution Reality
Accepting that modern customer journeys are messy and multi-touch rather than fighting for perfect tracking.
Channel Synergy
Building channels that amplify each other instead of competing for the same attribution credit.
Growth Loops
Creating systems where success in one channel automatically feeds growth in other channels.
The transformation was dramatic, but the real insights came from the metrics most businesses never track:
Attribution Chaos Became Clarity: Instead of fighting over which channel deserved credit, we measured the ecosystem. Total organic traffic grew 300% over three months. Brand search volume increased 150%. These "unattributable" metrics indicated our distribution system was working.
Platform Independence Improved Platform Performance: Here's the paradox - as we became less dependent on Facebook, Facebook performed better. Our ROAS improved from 2.5 to 8-9 because other channels were creating awareness that Facebook's retargeting capitalized on.
Customer Quality Improved Across All Channels: When customers discover you through multiple touchpoints, they convert with higher lifetime value. Our average order value increased 40% not because we changed pricing, but because customers had more confidence in their purchase decision.
Cost Per Acquisition Decreased System-Wide: While individual channel costs varied, our blended CAC across all channels dropped 35%. This happened because channels were working together rather than competing against each other.
Six months later, when iOS 14.5 disrupted Facebook attribution for thousands of e-commerce businesses, our client's revenue actually grew. They'd built an antifragile distribution system that got stronger when individual platforms weakened.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
After implementing this distribution-first approach across multiple client projects, here are the lessons that apply to any go-to-market strategy:
Single Points of Failure Are Always Fatal
It doesn't matter how well your best channel performs. If it's your only channel, you're building a house of cards. Platform changes, policy updates, and competitive pressure will eventually impact any single channel.
Attribution Is a Useful Lie
Modern customer journeys are complex and multi-touch. Instead of fighting for perfect attribution, measure the health of your entire distribution ecosystem. Focus on metrics like brand search volume, organic growth rate, and customer lifetime value.
Channels Should Amplify, Not Compete
The most powerful distribution strategies create channels that strengthen each other. Someone who discovers you through SEO and joins your email list is more likely to convert from a retargeting ad than someone who only sees the ad.
Distribution Takes Time, Tactics Don't
You can optimize a Facebook campaign in a week. Building SEO authority takes months. Creating a referral system requires patience. Start building your distribution foundation before you need it.
Customer Research Beats Channel Research
Instead of studying channel best practices, study customer behavior. Where do your customers spend time before they're ready to buy? What influences their decision-making process? Build your distribution around customer habits, not marketing tactics.
Measurement Should Follow Strategy
If your strategy is building an integrated distribution system, your metrics should measure system health, not individual channel performance. Track ecosystem metrics that show how channels work together.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS companies implementing this distribution framework:
Map customer research phases to content strategy - create content for discovery, consideration, and decision stages
Build SEO authority around problem-focused keywords, not just solution-focused ones
Create email sequences that nurture across multiple touchpoints rather than pushing immediate conversions
Implement product-led growth loops where usage creates visibility (integrations, templates, case studies)
For your Ecommerce store
For e-commerce stores building distribution systems:
Optimize product pages for both conversion and organic discovery - every product page should target relevant search terms
Create content around product education, not just product promotion - buying guides, comparison articles, and use case content
Build email sequences that provide value across the customer lifecycle, from discovery to post-purchase
Implement user-generated content systems that create social proof while improving SEO and social media presence